Friday, December 4, 2009

Demand End to Harassment of Colombian Human Rights Lawyer

Over the last week Jorge Molano, a prominent Colombian human rights lawyer, has been harassed and intimidated by unidentified men. On various occasions a group of men have arrived at Molano's apartment inquiring about his whereabouts but have immediately disappeared once Molano was alerted to their presence. Molano's partner has also been subject to suspicious surveillance, a common tactic used in Colombia to intimate and silence human rights activists.

Jorge Molano is a crucial human rights lawyer handling some of Colombia's most sensitive justice cases which involve high ranking Colombian military officials and several massacres which are reaching trial. It was recently revealed that the Colombian national intelligence agency (DAS) illegally wiretapped his communications in its quest to spy on human rights defenders, Supreme Court judges, and opposition officials.

The harassment and surveillance may be intended to deter Molano's groundbreaking work in seeking justice for various human rights violations through the courts, in particular the upcoming trial on December 14 - 16 for the San José de Apartado massacre. Molano represents the relatives of victims of this massacre.

TAKE ACTION NOW to urge Colombian officials to increase Jorge Molano's security measures to prevent any attacks against him and to investigate the recent harassment.

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